China is one of the reasons why Toyota budgets very carefully for 2013. Group-wide, Toyota expects to produce 9.94 million vehicles and sell 9.91 million vehicles in 2013, up just a hair from 2012.

The unintended acceleration scandal did not quite kill Toyota, as many had pronounced. The tsunami did not wipe out Toyota, as some had silently hoped. Toyota embarked on a mammoth come-back, and it was clear in the first half of the year that Toyota is back alright.

Now, the company is catching a breath. This will make 2013 a highly interesting neck-on-neck race between Toyota, GM, and Volkswagen. All three of them could pierce the 10 million in 2013.

P.S. OICA’s list of the world’s largest carmakers usually is issued in July or August. This year, it took well into November. It may have been held up by a scandal. Originally, this list was published. A few days later, the list was rep[laced by this one. The difference: On the new list, the results of all Chinese manufacturers are “under review.” We tried to reach OICA for a comment, but being based in Belgium, the association is on Christmas holiday.

Does this include Scion and Lexus sales? Toyota really makes a shit ton of car models when you add up their Toyota cars and trucks, the new Prius lineup, Scion, and Lexus. I’ve wondered before if this is why they sell so many cars. Seriously, no other manufacturer comes close to covering the breadth of vehicle niches that Toyota does (although fun, interesting cars do continue to elude them, FR-S withstanding).

You want to be the biggest..than suffer the consequences!
I have ABSOLUTELY NO sympathy for Toyota.
I really wish they would pull up stakes in the U.S.and move to another playground.
I just finished reading ‘Unbroken’ and if I never see another Japanese car in my lifetime,I would be a very happy man.
Go VW and G.M!!!!

Germany and Japan were destined to rule the world. They tried it first the most obvious way but Soviet Union (BTW, Pacific or not but it took just one month for Red Army to terminate one million strong Japanese army with ease in Manchuria in 1945) and US stood on their way of world domination. But compare size, population and natural resourced of United States and Soviet Union combined with Japan and Germany – just take look at the map to see enormity of US territory and US seems like small country compared with SU. So two new world super powers were born and dominated the world for the rest of 20th century. But one of them has already collapsed and is not relevant anymore and another one is badly wounded consumer economy which is moving to fiscal cliff and sovereign default (or hyper-inflation which is the same thing). “As General Motors goes, so goes America” and Germans and Japanese are finally achieving the dream of world domination as industrial giants – the national goal set by their leaders in 1930s is finally coming to fruition. History lesson by Inside Looking Out.

I noticed that people are fascinated by Hitler, German Nazis and their attributes (and Ancient Romans) because how German do stuff is mesmerizing. Even though everyone knows these days what kind of thugs and bullies Nazis were. People are not attracted to Stalin, Red Army or Japanese Emperor. Take Wehrmacht uniform – it is more hypnotising and better designed and executed that same stuff from allies. German tanks and airplanes look more menacing, over-engineered and has more presence than Soviet or American analogues. Same applies to German cars. Interesting thing is that Porsche was Nazi and the first thing my Israeli friends usually do when come to America to work – they buy used Porsche (because it is much cheaper here).

Japanese cars are popular because they are appliances like refrigerators. But German cars are totally different animals which have an enigma attached to them which no other culture is able to reproduce. ATS may be ten times better than 3 series but will never win because it exudes American optimism and equality when 3 series looks menacing and mean in typically German way.